Complications of radiofrequency coagulation of liver tumours

British Journal of Surgery - Tập 89 Số 10 - Trang 1206-1222 - 2002
Stefaan Mulier1, Peter Mulier2, Yicheng Ni3, Yi Miao4, B. Dupas5, G Marchal3, Ivo De Wever6, Luc Michel1
1Department of General Surgery, University Hospital Mont-Godinne, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
2Biomedical engineer, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
3Department of Radiology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
4Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
5Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Nantes, Nantes, France
6Department of Surgical Oncology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium

Tóm tắt

AbstractBackground

Radiofrequency coagulation (RFC) is being promoted as a novel technique with a low morbidity rate in the treatment of liver tumours. The purpose of this study was to assess critically the complication rates of RFC in centres with both large and limited initial experience, and to establish causes and possible means of prevention and treatment.

Methods

This is an exhaustive review of the world literature (articles and abstracts) up to 31 December 2001; 82 independent reports of RFC of liver tumours were analysed.

Results

In total, 3670 patients were treated with percutaneous, laparoscopic or open RFC. The mortality rate was 0·5 per cent. Complications occurred in 8·9 per cent: abdominal bleeding in 1·6 per cent, abdominal infection in 1·1 per cent, biliary tract damage in 1·0 per cent, liver failure in 0·8 per cent, pulmonary complications in 0·8 per cent, dispersive pad skin burn in 0·6 per cent, hepatic vascular damage in 0·6 per cent, visceral damage in 0·5 per cent, cardiac complications in 0·4 per cent, myoglobinaemia or myoglobinuria in 0·2 per cent, renal failure in 0·1 per cent, tumour seeding in 0·2 per cent, coagulopathy in 0·2 per cent, and hormonal complications in 0·1 per cent. The complication rate was 7·2, 9·5, 9·9 and 31·8 per cent after a percutaneous, laparoscopic, simple open and combined open approach respectively. The mortality rate was 0·5, 0, 0 and 4·5 per cent respectively.

Conclusion

The morbidity and mortality of RFC, while low, is higher than previously assumed. With adequate knowledge, many complications are preventable.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

Lim, 2001, Major complications after radiofrequency thermal ablation of hepatic tumors: a report of the Korean RF study group, Radiology, 221, 248

Rhim, 2000, Radiofrequency thermal ablation of hepatic tumors: post-ablation syndrome, J Vasc Intervent Radiol, 11, 271

Livraghi, 2000, Hepatocellular carcinoma: radio-frequency ablation of medium and large lesions, Radiology, 214, 761, 10.1148/radiology.214.3.r00mr02761

Allgaier, 1999, Percutaneous radiofrequency interstitial thermal ablation of small hepatocellular carcinoma, Lancet, 353, 1676, 10.1016/S0140-6736(99)00368-2

Arata, 2001, Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of liver tumors with the LeVeen probe: is roll-off predictive of response?, J Vasc Intervent Radiol, 12, 455, 10.1016/S1051-0443(07)61884-3

Bauer, 1999, 52nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology

Berber, 2000, Initial clinical evaluation of the RITA 5-centimeter radiofrequency thermal ablation catheter in the treatment of liver tumors, Cancer J, 6, S319

Bezzi, 1999, Radiofrequency ablation of liver neoplasms, Eur Radiol, 9, 783

Blackman, 2000, Early experience with radiofrequency ablation of tumors of varying histology with follow-up, J Vasc Intervent Radiol, 11, 238

Bowles, 2001, Safety and efficacy of radiofrequency thermal ablation in advanced liver tumors, Arch Surg, 136, 864, 10.1001/archsurg.136.8.864

Buscarini, 1995, Laparoscopic ablation of liver adenoma by radiofrequency electrocautery, Gastrointest Endosc, 41, 68, 10.1016/S0016-5107(95)70279-2

Buscarini, 1999, Percutaneous radiofrequency thermal ablation combined with transcatheter arterial embolization in the treatment of large hepatocellular carcinoma, Ultraschall Med, 20, 47, 10.1055/s-1999-14233

Buscarini, 2001, Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of small hepatocellular carcinoma: long-term results, Eur Radiol, 11, 914, 10.1007/s003300000659

Catalano, 2000, Multiphase helical CT findings after percutaneous ablation procedures for hepatocellular carcinoma, Abdom Imaging, 25, 607, 10.1007/s002610000076

Chan, 2001, Radiofrequency ablation of malignant hepatic neoplasms, J Vasc Intervent Radiol, 12, S24

Choi, 2001, Radio frequency ablation of liver tumors: assessment of therapeutic response and complications, Radiographics, 21, 541, 10.1148/radiographics.21.suppl_1.g01oc08s41

Christians, 2001, Hepatocellular carcinoma: multimodality management, Surgery, 130, 554, 10.1067/msy.2001.117106

Chung, 2001, Laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation of unresectable hepatic malignancies. A phase 2 trial, Surg Endosc, 15, 1020, 10.1007/s00464-001-0026-2

Crucinio, 2001, Termoablazione mediante radiofrequenza: nuovo approccio nella terapia locoregionale dell'HCC, G Chir, 22, 89

Curley, 2000, Radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular cancer in 110 patients with cirrhosis, Ann Surg, 232, 381, 10.1097/00000658-200009000-00010

Cuschieri, 1999, Initial experience with laparoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency thermal ablation of hepatic tumours, Endoscopy, 31, 318, 10.1055/s-1999-16

de Baere, 2001, Complications of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of liver tumors, Radiology, 221, P627

De Santis, 2000, Combined percutaneous treatment with segmental embolization and radiofrequency thermal ablation of large liver tumors, Eur Radiol, 10, 298

de Sio, 2001, Tumor dissemination after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma, Hepatology, 34, 609, 10.1053/jhep.2001.27955

Dodd, 2000, Minimally invasive treatment of malignant hepatic tumors: at the threshold of a major breakthrough, Radiographics, 20, 9, 10.1148/radiographics.20.1.g00ja019

Elias, 2001, How I do it: Intraductal cooling of the main bile ducts during intraoperative radiofrequency ablation, J Surg Oncol, 76, 297, 10.1002/jso.1049

Dupuy, 2000, Radiofrequency ablation of large and multiple hepatic neoplasms, Radiology, 214, 921

Elias, 2000, Transpleurodiaphragmatic radiofrequency thermoablation of a liver metastasis, J Am Coll Surg, 191, 683, 10.1016/S1072-7515(00)00741-9

Francica, 1999, Ultrasound-guided percutaneous treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma by radiofrequency hyperthermia with a ‘cooled-tip needle’. A preliminary clinical experience, Eur J Ultrasound, 9, 145, 10.1016/S0929-8266(99)00022-1

Francica, 2000, Hemobilia, intrahepatic hematoma and acute thrombosis with cavernomatous transformation of the portal vein after percutaneous thermoablation of a liver metastasis, Eur Radiol, 10, 926, 10.1007/s003300051038

Gervais, 2000, Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients awaiting transplant: a new and evolving use of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation, Radiology, 217, 606

Gillams, 2000, Radiofrequency ablation of liver tumours – one year experience with the latest technology, Eur Radiol, 10, D22

Gillams, 2001, Thermal ablation of liver metastases, Abdom Imaging, 26, 361, 10.1007/s002610000196

Goldberg, 2000, Treatment of intrahepatic malignancy with radiofrequency ablation: radiologic–pathologic correlation, Cancer, 88, 2452, 10.1002/1097-0142(20000601)88:11<2452::AID-CNCR5>3.0.CO;2-3

Goldstein, 2000, Annual Meeting of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons

Goletti, 1998, Intraoperative radiofrequency thermal ablation: a new approach to the treatment of hepatic focal lesions, Surg Endosc, 12, 590

Goletti, 2000, Laparoscopic radiofrequency thermal ablation of hepatocarcinoma: preliminary experience, Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech, 10, 284, 10.1097/00129689-200010000-00005

Hänsler, 1999, Congress ‘Ultraschall 1999’ Berlin

Hargreaves, 2000, Results after nonsurgical local treatment of primary liver malignancies, Langenbecks Arch Surg, 385, 185, 10.1007/s004230050263

Hein, 2000, Radiofrequency (RF) therapy of liver metastasis in renal cell carcinoma in combination with immunomodulatory therapy, Eur Radiol, 10, D41

Helmberger, 2001, Radiofrequenzablation von Lebermetastasen. Technik und erste Ergebnisse, Radiologe, 41, 69, 10.1007/s001170050929

Holtkamp, 2000, Sonographisch gesteuerte perkutane Hochfrequenzthermotherapie von Lebertumoren mit perfundierten Nadelelektroden, Z Gastroenterol, 38, 221, 10.1055/s-2000-14861

Horigome, 2001, Percutaneous radio-frequency ablation therapy using a clustered electrode for malignant liver tumors, J Clin Gastroenterol, 32, 418, 10.1097/00004836-200105000-00012

Ikeda, 2001, Radiofrequency ablation and percutaneous ethanol injection in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma: a comparative study, Jpn J Clin Oncol, 31, 322, 10.1093/jjco/hye063

Ishikawa, 2001, Thoracoscopic thermal ablation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma located beneath the diaphragm, Endoscopy, 33, 697, 10.1055/s-2001-16216

Jiao, 1999, Clinical short-term results of radiofrequency ablation in primary and secondary liver tumors, Am J Surg, 177, 303, 10.1016/S0002-9610(99)00043-4

Kainuma, 1999, Combined therapy with radiofrequency thermal ablation and intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy for hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer, Hepatogastroenterology, 46, 1071

Keltner, 2001, Acute renal failure after radiofrequency liver ablation of metastatic carcinoid tumor, Anesth Analg, 93, 587, 10.1097/00000539-200109000-00011

Kidney, 2001, Radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma by percutaneous image guidance versus laparoscopic technique. A comparative study, Eur Radiol, 11, C16

Lencioni, 1998, Radio-frequency thermal ablation of liver metastases with a cooled-tip electrode needle: results of a pilot clinical trial, Eur Radiol, 8, 1205, 10.1007/s003300050536

Lencioni, 2001, A randomized comparison of percutaneous ethanol injection and radiofrequency thermal ablation for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma, Eur Radiol, 11, 172

Livraghi, 1997, Saline-enhanced radio-frequency tissue ablation in the treatment of liver metastases, Radiology, 202, 205, 10.1148/radiology.202.1.8988212

Livraghi, 1999, Radiofrequency (RF) ablation in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): experience in 259 patients, Radiology, 213, 282

Livraghi, 2001, Percutaneous radio frequency ablation of liver metastases from breast cancer: initial experience in 24 patients, Radiology, 220, 145, 10.1148/radiology.220.1.r01jl01145

Llovet, 2001, Increased risk of tumor seeding after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for single hepatocellular carcinoma, Hepatology, 33, 1124, 10.1053/jhep.2001.24233

Machi, 2000, Radiofrequency thermal ablation of synchronous metastatic liver tumors can be performed safely in conjunction with colorectal cancer resection, Cancer J, 6, S344

Marone, 1996, Terapia loco-regionale del piccolo carcinoma epatocellulare con termoterapia percutanea ecoguidata, Argomenti Gastroenterol Clin, 9, 225

Montorsi, 2001, Radiofrequency interstitial thermal ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma in liver cirrhosis. Role of the laparoscopic approach, Surg Endosc, 15, 141, 10.1007/s004640000242

Nicoli, 2000, Intraoperative and percutaneous radiofrequency thermal ablation in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, Chir Ital, 52, 29

Pereira, 2001, Phase II study: transarterial chemoembolization combined with single session radiofrequency ablation of liver carcinomas larger than 5 cm, Radiology, 221, P250

Podnos, 2001, Laparoscopic ultrasound with radiofrequency ablation in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: technique and technical considerations, Am Surg, 67, 1181, 10.1177/000313480106701214

Poggi, 2000, Complicanze della termoablazione percutanea con radiofrequenza delle lesioni primitive e secondarie del fegato. Descrizione di un caso, Radiol Med (Torino), 100, 185

Pulvirenti, 2001, Experience with radiofrequency ablation of small hepatocellular carcinomas before liver transplantation, Transplant Proc, 33, 1516, 10.1016/S0041-1345(00)02577-X

Risse, 2001, Destruction de tumeurs hépatiques malignes par radiofréquence. Experience préliminaire a propos de 25 cas, Ann Chir, 126, 118, 10.1016/S0003-3944(00)00474-0

Rossi, 1996, Percutaneous RF interstitial thermal ablation in the treatment of hepatic cancer, AJR Am J Roentgenol, 167, 759, 10.2214/ajr.167.3.8751696

Rossi, 2000, Percutaneous radio frequency thermal ablation of nonresectable hepatocellular carcinoma after occlusion of tumor blood supply, Radiology, 217, 119, 10.1148/radiology.217.1.r00se02119

Rossi, 2001, RF thermal ablation: mid-term results in the treatment of HCC, Eur Radiol, 11, C32

Scudamore, 1999, Radiofrequency ablation followed by resection of malignant liver tumors, Am J Surg, 177, 411, 10.1016/S0002-9610(99)00068-9

Seki, 2000, Percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) ablation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: difficulty in removing the expandable RF needle electrode, AJR Am J Roentgenol, 174, 264, 10.2214/ajr.174.1.1740264a

Shankar, 2001, Impact of treatment of large and multiple hepatic lesions by percutaneous RF, Radiology, 221, P626

Shibata, 2001, Tumor ablation therapy for small hepatocellular carcinoma: comparison of radiofrequency ablation and percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy, Radiology, 221, P248

Siperstein, 2001, Cryoablation, percutaneous alcohol injection, and radiofrequency ablation for treatment of neuroendocrine liver metastases, World J Surg, 25, 693, 10.1007/s00268-001-0015-6

Solbiati, 1997, Percutaneous US-guided radiofrequency tissue ablation of liver metastases: treatment and follow-up in 16 patients, Radiology, 202, 195, 10.1148/radiology.202.1.8988211

Solbiati, 2001, Outcome and long-term survival of patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer treated with percutaneous cool-tip radiofrequency ablation, Radiology, 221, P625, 10.1148/radiol.2211001624

Soulen, 1999, Liver tumor ablation with the LeVeen radiofrequency probe: initial human experience, J Vasc Intervent Radiol, 10, 210

Trübenbach, 2000, MRI-guided radiofrequency ablation of hepatic neoplasms, Eur Radiol, 10, C8

Trübenbach, 2000, Perkutane Radiofrequenzablation hepatischer Neoplasien unter Verwendung von ‘Cluster’-Ablationssonden – Erste klinische Erfahrungen, Rofo Fortschr Geb Rontgenstr Neuen Bildgeb Verfahr, 172, 905, 10.1055/s-2000-8369

Uchida, 1999, American College of Surgeons (ACS) 85th Clinical Congress

Wessels, 2001, Radiofrequency ablation treatment of refractory carcinoid hepatic metastases, J Surg Res, 95, 8, 10.1006/jsre.2000.5988

Wood, 1999, Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of primary liver tumors (HCC) and metastases: 2-year follow-up with special attention to reoccurrence vs size and location of lesion, complications, modality used, and logistics of setting up an ablation, Radiology, 213, 213

Wood, 2000, Radiofrequency ablation of 231 unresectable hepatic tumors: indications, limitations, and complications, Ann Surg Oncol, 7, 593, 10.1007/BF02725339

Yamakado, 2001, Hepatocellular carcinoma: radio-frequency ablation combined with chemoembolization in small, medium, and large lesions, Radiology, 221, P249

Yamasaki, 2001, Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation therapy with combined angiography and computed tomography assistance for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, Cancer, 91, 1342, 10.1002/1097-0142(20010401)91:7<1342::AID-CNCR1137>3.0.CO;2-0

Zoetmulder, 2000, Focal liver pathology: diagnosis and therapy

Choi, 2000, Hepatocellular carcinoma treated with percutaneous radio-frequency ablation: usefulness of power Doppler US with a microbubble contrast agent in evaluating therapeutic response. Preliminary results, Radiology, 217, 558, 10.1148/radiology.217.2.r00oc07558

Torres, 2001, Vascular complications after hepatic tumor radiofrequency, Eur Radiol, 11, 410

Bilchik, 1999, Radiofrequency ablation: a minimally invasive technique with multiple applications, Cancer J Sci Am, 5, 356

de Baere, 2000, Second European Conference: Perspectives in Colorectal Cancer, 37

Havlik, 1999, Annual Course in Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Hammersmith Hospital

Livraghi, 2000, Complications after cool-tip RF ablation of liver cancer: initial report of the Italian Multicenter Cooled-tip RF Study Group, Radiology, 217, P27

Livraghi, 1999, Small hepatocellular carcinoma: treatment with radio-frequency ablation versus ethanol injection, Radiology, 210, 655, 10.1148/radiology.210.3.r99fe40655

Curley, 1999, Radiofrequency ablation of unresectable primary and metastatic hepatic malignancies: results in 123 patients, Ann Surg, 230, 1, 10.1097/00000658-199907000-00001

Elias, 2000, Usefulness of intraoperative radiofrequency thermoablation of liver tumours associated or not with hepatectomy, Eur J Surg Oncol, 26, 763, 10.1053/ejso.2000.1000

De Baere, 1999, Ablathermie percutanée des métastases hépatiques par radiofréquence. Expérience préliminaire, Gastroenterol Clin Biol, 23, 1128

Gillams, 1999, Experience with the triple cluster, cooled-tip radiofrequency electrodes in 76 liver tumours, Radiology, 213, 124

Mulier, 2001, Radiofrequentie-ablatie van tumoren: een overzicht, Tijdschr Geneesk, 57, 51, 10.2143/TVG.57.1.5000939

Hayes, 2001, Radiofrequency treatment of hepatic neoplasms in patients with permanent pacemakers, Mayo Clin Proc, 76, 950, 10.1016/S0025-6196(11)62117-4

Llovet, 2000, Increased risk of tumor seeding after radiofrequency thermal ablation for single hepatocellular carcinoma, Hepatology, 32, 206A

Mazziotti, 1997, Percutaneous US-guided ablation of liver metastases, Radiology, 205, 582, 10.1148/radiology.205.2.582-b

Mazziotti, 1998, An appraisal of percutaneous treatment of liver metastases, Liver Transpl Surg, 4, 271, 10.1002/lt.500040408

McGahan, 2001, Radiofrequency ablation of the liver: current status, AJR Am J Roentgenol, 176, 3, 10.2214/ajr.176.1.1760003

Llovet, 2001, Tumor dissemination after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma. Reply, Hepatology, 34, 610, 10.1053/jhep.2001.27956

Solbiati, 1997, Percutaneous US-guided radiofrequency tissue ablation of liver metastases. Reply, Radiology, 205, 583, 10.1148/radiology.205.2.583

Buscarini, 1999, Percutaneous ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation of liver tumors, Liver Transpl Surg, 5, 255, 10.1002/lt.500050313

Rhim, 1999, Radiofrequency thermal ablation of liver tumors, J Clin Ultrasound, 27, 221, 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0096(199906)27:5<221::AID-JCU1>3.0.CO;2-T

Bilchik, 2000, Cryosurgical ablation and radiofrequency ablation for unresectable hepatic malignant neoplasms: a proposed algorithm, Arch Surg, 135, 657, 10.1001/archsurg.135.6.657

Siperstein, 2000, Laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation of primary and metastatic liver tumors. Technical considerations, Surg Endosc, 14, 400, 10.1007/s004640000067

Dodd, 2000, Radiofrequency thermal ablation of hepatic tumors, J Vasc Intervent Radiol, 11, 118, 10.1016/S1051-0443(00)70063-7

de Baere, 2001, Radiofrequency liver ablation: experimental comparative study of water-cooled versus expandable systems, AJR Am J Roentgenol, 176, 187, 10.2214/ajr.176.1.1760187

Solbiati, 1999, Liver Malignancies. Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, 339, 10.1007/978-3-642-58641-5_24

Siperstein, 1997, Laparoscopic thermal ablation of hepatic neuroendocrine tumor metastases, Surgery, 122, 1147, 10.1016/S0039-6060(97)90221-X

Sabo, 1999, Anesthetic considerations in patients undergoing percutaneous radiofrequency interstitial tissue ablation, AANA J, 67, 467

Rossi, 1998, Percutaneous treatment of small hepatic tumors by an expandable RF needle electrode, AJR Am J Roentgenol, 170, 1015, 10.2214/ajr.170.4.9530052

Sironi, 1999, Small hepatocellular carcinoma treated with percutaneous RF ablation: MR imaging follow-up, AJR Am J Roentgenol, 173, 1225, 10.2214/ajr.173.5.10541093

Marone, 1998, Ablazione percutanea ecoguidata del carcinoma epatocellulare su cirrosi mediante radiofrequenza con ‘ago freddo’, Radiol Med (Torino), 95, 624

Lim, 2001, Hepatocellular carcinoma treated with percutaneous radio-frequency ablation: evaluation with follow-up multiphase helical CT, Radiology, 221, 447, 10.1148/radiol.2212010446

Crespi, 1998, Neurolepatoanalgesia in patienti sottoposti a radiofrequenza percutanea ecoguidata per neoplasie epatiche primitive o secondarie, singole o multiple, Minerva Anestesiol, 64, 267

Rhim, 2001, Essential techniques for successful radio-frequency thermal ablation of malignant hepatic tumors, Radiographics, 21, 517

de Baere, 1996, Liver abscess formation after local treatment of liver tumors, Hepatology, 23, 1436, 10.1002/hep.510230620

Spies, 1988, Antibiotic prophylaxis in vascular and interventional radiology: a rational approach, Radiology, 166, 381, 10.1148/radiology.166.2.3275979

Berber, 2000, Use of CT Hounsfield unit density to identify ablated tumor after laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation of hepatic tumors, Surg Endosc, 14, 799, 10.1007/s004640000236

Solbiati, 2001, Radiofrequency thermal ablation of hepatic metastases, Eur J Ultrasound, 13, 149, 10.1016/S0929-8266(01)00127-6

Catalano, 2000, Helical CT patterns of recurrence after percutaneous ablation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Eur Radiol, 10, D44

de Baere, 2000, Radiofrequency ablation of 100 hepatic metastases with a mean follow-up of more than 1 year, AJR Am J Roentgenol, 175, 1619, 10.2214/ajr.175.6.1751619

Hansen, 1999, Radiofrequency ablation lesions in a pig liver model, J Surg Res, 87, 114, 10.1006/jsre.1999.5709

Patterson, 1998, Radiofrequency ablation of porcine liver in vivo: effects of blood flow and treatment time on lesion size, Ann Surg, 227, 559, 10.1097/00000658-199804000-00018

Emergency Care Research Institute, 1980, Skin injury in the OR and elsewhere, Health Devices, 9, 312

Gendron, 1980, ‘Burns’ occurring during lengthy surgical procedures, J Clin Eng, 51, 19, 10.1097/00004669-198001000-00005

Becker, 1973, The distribution of radiofrequency current and burns, Anesthesiology, 38, 106, 10.1097/00000542-197302000-00002

Allen, 1981, The effect of adipose tissue on the thermal performance of electrosurgical dispersive electrodes, J Clin Eng, 6, 313

Goldberg, 2000, Variables affecting proper system grounding for radiofrequency ablation in an animal model, J Vasc Intervent Radiol, 11, 1069, 10.1016/S1051-0443(07)61341-4

Hänsler, 1998, Sonographisch gesteuerete interstitielle Hochfrequenzthermotherapie (HFTT) – Untersuchungen am Modell des Hausschweins, Ultraschall Med, 19, 103A

Lu, 2000, The effect of vessels on hepatic RF lesion creation: assessment of the ‘heat sink effect’, Radiology, 217, P

Buczkowski, 1997, 13th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Surgical Research

Hänsler, 1999, 8th International Congress on Interventional Ultrasound

Heisterkamp, 1999, Interstitial laser coagulation for hepatic tumours, Br J Surg, 86, 293, 10.1046/j.1365-2168.1999.01059.x

Lencioni, 2001, Percutaneous radiofrequency thermal ablation of liver malignancies: techniques, indications, imaging findings, and clinical results, Abdom Imaging, 26, 345, 10.1007/s002610000194

Bilchik, 2001, Radiofrequency ablation of unresectable hepatic malignancies: lessons learned, Oncologist, 6, 24, 10.1634/theoncologist.6-1-24

Lewin, 1998, Interactive MRI-guided radiofrequency interstitial thermal ablation of abdominal tumors: clinical trial for evaluation of safety and feasibility, J Magn Reson Imaging, 8, 40, 10.1002/jmri.1880080112

Scudamore, 1997, Possible injuries to intrahepatic and perihepatic structures with radiofrequency probe, Surg Endosc, 11, 193

Dupuy, 2001, Image-guided radiofrequency tumor ablation: challenges and opportunities. Part II, J Vasc Intervent Radiol, 12, 1135, 10.1016/S1051-0443(07)61670-4

Ohmoto, 2001, Percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy using artificial ascitis, AJR Am J Roentgenol, 176, 817, 10.2214/ajr.176.3.1760817

Solbiati, 1999, Radio-frequency ablation of hepatic metastases: postprocedural assessment with a US microbubble contrast agent – early experience, Radiology, 211, 643, 10.1148/radiology.211.3.r99jn06643

Goldberg, 2000, Thermal ablation therapy for focal malignancy: a unified approach to underlying principles, techniques, and diagnostic imaging guidance, AJR Am J Roentgenol, 174, 323, 10.2214/ajr.174.2.1740323

Haberstroh, 1996, Effects of the Pringle maneuver on hemodynamics during laparoscopic liver resection in the pig, Eur Surg Res, 28, 8, 10.1159/000129434

Pearson, 1999, Intraoperative radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation for hepatic malignancies, Am J Surg, 178, 592, 10.1016/S0002-9610(99)00234-2

Kato, 2001, Radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: help or hazard?, Hepatology, 33, 1336, 10.1053/jhep.2001.24738

Bolondi, 2001, Tumor dissemination after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma, Hepatology, 34, 608, 10.1053/jhep.2001.27952

Livraghi, 2001, Tumor dissemination after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma, Hepatology, 34, 608, 10.1053/jhep.2001.27953

Goldberg, 2001, Tumor dissemination after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma, Hepatology, 34, 609, 10.1053/jhep.2001.27954

Miao, 1997, Ex vivo experiment on radiofrequency liver ablation with saline infusion through a screw-tip cannulated electrode, J Surg Res, 71, 19, 10.1006/jsre.1997.5133

Takamori, 2000, Needle-track implantation from hepatocellular cancer: is needle biopsy of the liver always necessary?, Liver Transpl, 6, 67

Plant, 2000, Tumour seeding – an inevitable, or avoidable, legacy of biopsy of colorectal liver metastases?, J Vasc Intervent Radiol, 11, 207

Siperstein, 2000, Local recurrence after laparoscopic radiofrequency thermal ablation of hepatic tumors, Ann Surg Oncol, 7, 106, 10.1007/s10434-000-0106-x

Di Stasi, 1997, Percutaneous ethanol injection in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. A multicenter survey of evaluation practices and complication rates, Scand J Gastroenterol, 32, 1168, 10.3109/00365529709002998

Buscarini, 1990, Ultrasound guided fine-needle biopsy of focal liver lesions: techniques, diagnostic accuracy and complications. A retrospective study on 2091 biopsies, J Hepatol, 11, 344, 10.1016/0168-8278(90)90219-H

Boix, 1996, Circulating mRNA for alpha-fetoprotein in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Evidence of tumor dissemination after transarterial embolisation, Hepatology, 24, 349

Gillams, 2001, Radiofrequency ablation of neuroendocrine liver metastases, Radiology, 221, P627

Buell, 2000, Hepatic resection: effective treatment for primary and secondary tumors, Surgery, 128, 686, 10.1067/msy.2000.108220

Sarantou, 1998, Complications of hepatic cryosurgery, Semin Surg Oncol, 14, 156, 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2388(199803)14:2<156::AID-SSU7>3.0.CO;2-4

Chapman, 2000, Hepatic cryoablation, but not radiofrequency ablation, results in lung inflammation, Ann Surg, 231, 752, 10.1097/00000658-200005000-00016

Seifert, 1998, A collective review of the world literature on hepatic cryotherapy, J R Coll Surg Edinb, 43, 141

Vogl, 2001, Laser-induced thermotherapy of malignant liver tumors: general principles, equipment(s), procedure(s) – side effects, complications and results, Eur J Ultrasound, 13, 117, 10.1016/S0929-8266(01)00125-2

Rossi, 2000, RF vs laser thermal ablation in the treatment of HCC, Radiology, 217, 538